Meeting of EU agriculture ministers: “Field work instead of paper work”

Pesticides and land use: The EU has already accommodated the farmers. Minister Özdemir also wants to reduce bureaucracy. The meeting with his counterparts was nevertheless accompanied by protests.

There was no lack of understanding for the farmers’ protest at the beginning of the EU agriculture ministers’ meeting in Brussels. It is very important to recognize the work of farmers who produce food every day, said Irish Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue. But what this appreciation should look like politically is a matter of debate in Brussels. The reasons for the farmers’ protest in Europe are also too diverse.

Among other things, it’s about the fear of cheap imports from third countries, the anger about too many environmental requirements as part of the European Green Deal, but also about the anger about too much bureaucracy.

“The Federal Statistical Office has calculated that the average farmer spends a quarter of his time at his desk,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir before the meeting in Brussels. “So our motto has to be: This has to go down urgently. Get rid of excessive bureaucracy. Concentrate on the essentials. Field work instead of paper work is the motto of the hour.”

company visits, Land use, pesticides

Last week, the EU Commission promised some relief: In March, it plans to launch an online survey to find out where farmers expect improvements. The authority also proposes to simplify a number of requirements. This includes the obligation to keep permanent green spaces stable since the reference year 2018. The Commission also wants to simplify the methodology for controls. This is intended to reduce the number of company visits by up to 50 percent.

The Commission has also suspended a regulation retroactively to January of this year, according to which farmers must leave four percent of arable land unused so that nature can recover there. You are now allowed to use this area – provided you grow catch crops on a certain area.

Voices for fundamental reform are increasing

In addition, the EU Commission announced that it would withdraw its proposal for a strict pesticide regulation. Instead, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to work with farmers and environmental associations to develop a more balanced directive. There will be a new attempt at this in the next legislative period after the European elections in June.

So much for the short-term measures. In addition, there are increasing voices to reform the long-term common European agricultural policy (CAP). Around a third of EU spending goes to agriculture. A large part of the money is distributed over the hectare; around a quarter of the direct payments are linked to the fulfillment of environmental requirements.

Loud discontent on the streets of Brussels

It is the largest single item in the EU budget. Around 55 billion euros are distributed through it every year. Discussions about the new seven-year funding period from 2028 will begin soon. He wanted to “say this very clearly,” said Özdemir: “You can write the CAP in such a way that there is no reduction in the level of ambition. But you can do it smarter. You can use digitalization. You can free it from unnecessary reporting obligations. Man can reduce duplication of work. We support that.”

As was the case a few weeks ago, numerous farmers came to Brussels with their tractors today – and are loudly drawing attention to their situation.